Sam Coffee Roasters; Fourteen Years of Conscious Choice

Sam Coffee Roasters: Conscious Choice, a Human Experience, and a Network of Connection

At Sam Coffee Roasters, “work” is not limited to daily tasks and responsibilities. It is part of the flow of our lives. That is why, in Human Resources, we do not try to separate work from life. Instead, we aim to create an experience in which our colleagues can look for meaning beyond everyday outcomes and genuinely enjoy working.

If, along this path, we can remind ourselves and our colleagues of the satisfaction that comes from doing things right and, in our own way, invest in their growth and learning so they can pursue bigger goals in the future, then we have remained true to our purpose in Human Resources.

This approach is not confined to the quality of our coffee or the design of our spaces. It extends to how we lead people, how we make difficult decisions, and how we care for the finer details of our relationship with guests. We are committed to doing things right and to enjoying work done right. We believe work is worth doing only when it is done fully and with real enthusiasm.

Human Resources: A Real Team, Not Just an Organization Chart

From the outside, Sam Coffee Roasters can look like a collection of spaces and services. From the inside, it is a living community: 141 people, 58 job titles, and 18 organizational units. The team’s average age is 28, which means much of Sam Coffee Roasters is powered by a young generation that is agile and eager to learn, while also deeply attentive to safety, respect, and a clear path for growth.

Alongside this fresh energy, long-tenured colleagues bring depth and continuity. Our longest-serving colleague, with 4,789 days at Sam Coffee Roasters, carries part of our institutional memory and helps sustain the team’s culture. When thoughtfully designed, this mix of “newcomers” and “experienced hands” becomes a source of mutual learning and lasting growth.

At Sam Coffee Roasters, HR is not merely an administrative function. Its central responsibility is to design the full cycle of a colleague’s journey, from the first day of work to the day they leave and begin a new path, in a human-centered way. This means looking for win–win solutions. There are no losers here: the goal is personal development alongside team and organizational growth.

In the first half of year, Sam Coffee Roasters received 1,130 résumés for different roles. 262 candidates were invited to in-person interviews, and ultimately 56 people joined the team. Our time-to-hire is 13 days, which, based on global reports, is about 46% faster than the industry average for cafés and restaurants.

But behind these numbers is a constant principle: hiring at Sam Coffee Roasters means finding people who can align with a culture of conscious choice, sustained quality, and responsibility in the details.

Crisis and Recovery: Values Show Up Under Pressure

In the first half of 1404, the “twelve-day war” became a real test for Sam Coffee Roasters. From the earliest hours of the crisis, our priority was protecting the mental and physical well-being of our colleagues. Part of the team stayed voluntarily in the initial days, but as risks increased, a difficult decision was made: temporarily closing our spaces and taking units offline.

This decision was grounded in a central value: trust. Trust means that even in difficult times, the human relationship does not break. Paying salaries in full, ensuring safety, and expressing gratitude for voluntary support were the practical expressions of that value.

After the crisis, recovery was not simply about reopening doors. Open dialogue sessions (Speak-Up) were held across all units: more than 24 hours of conversation from 7 to 19 of July, focused on hearing concerns, exchanging perspectives, and defining immediate actions to improve conditions.

Transparent Growth: When the Path Forward Is Visible

As Sam Coffee Roasters continued to grow, we began redesigning and implementing a job grading system to strengthen fairness, transparency, and motivation. The value and impact of each role were defined across five criteria: accountability, skills, problem-solving, supervision, and working conditions. The goal was to clarify professional growth paths and create a shared language across units and colleagues, so that progress would not remain subjective or vague.

In October, we also held a Playing Lean workshop for senior and middle managers. It offered a practical way to exercise decision-making, teamwork, and innovation through play, and helped build a more shared understanding of collaboration and learning.

The Road Ahead: Everyday Learning and a Sustainable Human Experience

In the second half of the year 1404, our focus continues along two main directions:

1.        Development and Learning
Seasonal training programs, leadership development workshops, structured onboarding, 360-degree performance evaluation, and the development of learning and career progression paths.

2.        Experience and Retention
Speak-Up sessions, eNPS measurement, a multi-dimensional welfare framework, and the design of a visual career-path map to clarify internal growth opportunities.

Public Relations and Marketing: Sam Coffee Roasters is an Experience, and a Network

Over the past fourteen years, we have tried to choose consciously. For us, each choice means selecting the best possible option while accepting that every choice is also a decision to let go of others. Anything that is not good enough, not aligned with our path, or unable to remain consistently strong has not been, and will not be, our choice.

Sam Coffee Roasters is not built by internal decisions alone. Part of its identity is shaped through its relationship with the city and a network of companions: collaborations that are not merely cross-promotion, but a shared direction in quality, experience-making, and respect for the audience.

Our fourteenth anniversary celebration was an opportunity to reflect this approach:

• Physical, sonic, and visual traces of the celebration were placed across our spaces, with careful attention to detail, especially for an audience that notices it.
• At our Vanak space, three special coffees from a shared origin, each with distinct characteristics, were served so the story of quality could be experienced in the cup.
• In a meaningful gesture, Sam Coffee Roasters managers took over the evening shift at our Fereshteh space in place of staff, bringing people closer and offering a more direct view of the team’s everyday work.

During the celebration, we also collaborated with a range of cultural and creative partners, each connected to a part of Sam Coffee Roasters’ experience and worldview:

• Zamineh, as a companion and part of Sam Coffee Roasters’ cultural identity, offered limited-edition postcards, strengthening the link between independent art and everyday life.
• The Central Bakers stood alongside Sam Coffee Roasters so hospitality would not be limited to coffee, and food quality would remain aligned with the overall experience.
• Cheshmeh Publishing and Ariana Qalam Publishing shared a common focus: supporting the intellectual and cultural growth of an audience that spends much of its day in work and learning environments.
• 009821 Projects, as a platform for contemporary art and young artists, helped turn the celebration into a cultural connection.
• Hoopa, through board games, carried Sam Coffee Roasters’ idea through another route: learning and enjoyment together, in a tangible and collective form.
• Aghabibi, in producing staff T-shirts, was a true partner of Sam Coffee Roasters, showing that conscious choice is not only for guests but also for colleagues’ work experience.
• Nami Sanati, a longtime friend and neighbor and a maker of sensory experiences (fragrance and scent), reminded us that quality can be built through taste, scent, and the feel of a space.
• Neat, with wellness services, emphasized the same shared value: quality, standards, and care for people’s well-being.
• Iranicard, through a practical gift, connected Sam Coffee Roasters’ idea to digital life by simplifying everyday experiences.
• Benchino, with flowers and precise design, reinforced Sam Coffee Roasters’ visual and sensory identity, because at Sam Coffee Roasters, freshness and life are not decoration, they are part of the space itself.

These collaborations carry one clear meaning: Sam Coffee Roasters does not see itself separate from its cultural and urban context. We prefer to move alongside people and brands who treat quality not as a claim, but as a daily practice.

Sam Coffee Roasters, in One Sentence

Sam Coffee Roasters is not just a café; it is a dynamic, designed experience: from conscious choices to the details of space, from the quality of the cup to the quality of relationships, from a small community to the city, and from meaningful collaborations to growth and a more enjoyable life.